Black Fins
by FandomFluid
Summary: Ciel grew up in a happy house by the ocean, playing by the ocean nearly everyday of his life. On his sixteenth birthday, Vincent decided to take him on a celebratory boat ride. When the weather went awry, and the boat capsized, he's saved from almost certain death and his world is shaken forever.
1. Chapter 1

The night Ciel was born had been a cold, rainy December evening. He was born happy and healthy to two parents and grew up in a house beside the ocean. As he grew up, he and his parents would go down to the beach and play in the sand or the shallows of the water. His father, Vincent Phantomhive, was the one who brought home the money for the family, as he owned a rather successful fishing company. His mother, Rachel Phantomhive, spent her days with their young son, playing with him and entertaining him.

Soon enough, Ciel grew old enough to start going to the local private school where he began kindergarten.

"Mommy, Miss. Berry read us a story about a mermaid. Can we go out and find mermaids tomorrow?" He asked curiously one Friday when he returned from school.

Rachel smiled to her son, nodding. "Of course we can. I must warn you though- mermaids can be skittish. We might not be able to find one. If we do, we have to be really careful, darling." She replied. It would be heartless to tell him the truth- that such things didn't exist. It would be like telling him the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, or even Santa Claus didn't exist.

Ciel giggled and smiled happily to her, clapping his hands. "Yay! Maybe we can bring some mermaid food with, too! To let them know we're friendly."

"That's a wonderful idea, darling. We'd better figure out what they eat, though," She replied with a nod. "Come on, let's go to Daddy's computer for scientific research."

Ciel giggled and nodded, running with her out of the room to go up the stairs to Vincent's study. She scooped him up and set him on her lap before opening up the browser.

"Now, let's think for a bit. Where do mermaids live?" She asked him with a smile.

"In…in the sea!" Ciel replied with a smile to her, proud of himself.

"Good job, sweetheart. So, we have to find some good seafood. You can decide what you think the mermaids will like." She replied before finding a list of all different types of seafood.

"I think mermaids like sushi. Let's get some sushi from the store, Mommy." Ciel replied with a smile to her.

"I think we have some time before Daddy gets home. We can go right now, if you want." Rachel said to him with a smile.

"Let's go, Mommy!" he replied with a giggle, sliding off her lap and leading her away from the computer and back down the stairs. He excitedly got his raincoat and galoshes on, after noticing how rainy it looked outside.

Rachel pulled on her own coat before grabbing the car keys and walking out with Ciel. She helped him into the car before getting into the front seat. She smiled as she listened to him singing to himself as they drove while playing with the small toys he had in the back seat by his car seat.

Soon enough, they got to the grocery store and she helped her small son out of the car, leading him into the building with her, holding his small hand. Together, they found some sushi, along with seaweed and squid jerky.

"Having seafood tonight?" the clerk asked as he rung everything up for them.

"We're gonna look for mermaids tomorrow!" Ciel replied to him with a smile as he watched his mother pay for the food.

"Really? That sounds like fun. Good luck, kiddo." The clerk said to him with a smile as the little boy took the bag and helped his mother walk back out to the car.

"I hope we find a mermaid, Mommy! That'd be so cool!" Ciel said on the ride home with her, then helping her to get everything ready for dinner when they got back.

When Vincent came home, he looked at the seafood on the countertop and raised an eyebrow to his wife.

"Ciel wants to go hunting for a mermaid tomorrow." She explained to him.

"Searching, Mommy!" Ciel corrected as he did his simple math homework in his workbook.

"Right, of course. Searching for mermaids." She revised with a smile to Vincent.

"Oh, that sounds like fun. Do you mind if I join you?" He asked the boy.

Ciel nodded as he finished his homework. "You can join us, Daddy! We can use the boat!" he replied happily.

"Awesome. It sounds like fun." He replied before moving to help Rachel get things ready for dinner, kissing her cheek gently and lightly ticking her waist, making her giggle and push him away gently.

"Shoo, fly." She laughed to him, keeping close to him happily as they got everything set up and

Ciel giggled and sat at the table with his parents, eating his dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets with them, making the nuggets stomp around on his plate in the pool of honey. "Roar! Grrr! Scary dino!" he exclaimed as he played with his food.

"You show that scary dino who's boss, buddy," Vincent said to him with a smile. "It might get Mommy and bite her wrists."

"Oh, dear, honey save me quickly before it gets me." Rachel said to their son with wide eyes.

Ciel giggled and nodded, eating the nugget happily along with the rest on his plate.

The rest of the night consisted of a bath, then a story before bed. Naturally, Ciel asked for one about mermaids. So, Rachel read him The Little Mermaid and tucked him into the bed.

"Mommy, if Ariel had been a boy, could he still marry the prince? Or would the prince hafta be a lady?" he asked tiredly.

"If Mr. Ariel wanted to marry a prince, he could. It's totally fine, just so long as they love each other." She replied to him with a smile, kissing his forehead.

"Goodnight, Mommy." He said softly to her.

"Goodnight, Ciel. Sleep well."

He nodded and shut his eyes, falling asleep easily all through the night and just dreaming of mermen and mermaids living under the sea and eating dinosaur chicken nuggets with him.

At around noon the next day, they all went out to the dock with their life vests and the seafood from the grocery store, getting into the nice speedboat.

"Mommy, how do I look?" Ciel asked after putting on his small sunglasses.

"You look super cool, baby boy." She replied to him with a thumb up. He giggled and moved to sit next to her in the boat, his life vest already on his small body.

"Daddy, keep the boat quiet so we don't scare the mermaids." Ciel said as they moved away from the dock and out into the deeper part of the ocean.

"You got it, kiddo." Vincent replied, letting the boat idle after a bit as Ciel got some of the food out, taking out some squid jerky and tossing it into the water.

"Mermaids, come on out! We won't hurt you!" he called out to the water as the tossed in some squid jerky and some sushi.

They stayed out until the sun was about to go down.

"Mommy, I saw one, I saw one!" Ciel cheered just as Vincent was about to start up the boat to head back. "I saw its tail! It was really big and pretty with black and red scales on it!"

"Really? Wow, good job, darling. Ready to go back, then?" She asked with a smile, absolutely positive it had just been a large fish of some sort.

"Yeah, we can go back, now. Just let me give the mermaid the rest of the jerky." Ciel replied before tossing the last of the bag into the water and watching it disappear down below the depths of the ocean.

"Say goodbye to the mermaid, sweetheart." Rachel said to him with a smile.

"Bye bye, mermaid! Have fun with the food!" Ciel said with a smile, waving to the water before left in the boat to go home for the night.

About six feet beneath the waves, a young merman watched as the human boy, just a few years younger than him, sped away in the boat, moving to take the squid and eat it contently.

"Sebastian, honey, what are you doing so close to the surface? We've been looking all over for you, darling." He heard his mother say before she swept him into her arms, leading him back to their little dwelling down by the reefs.


	2. Chapter 2

The years passed by quickly. Naturally, as he grew, the magic of the world diminished. It was in third grade when Ciel learned the hard way that there was no such thing as mermaid. It had been during science when the teacher asked them what they knew about marine biology. He hadn't understood why his peers had begun to laugh at him when he announced to the class that mermaids liked sushi. The teacher had to call his parents, who then sat the boy down on the couch and explained how mermaids didn't exist and it was time he found that out. Everything in myths weren't real. There was no such thing a mermaids or even dragons. They told him that, while it was fun to imagine and make up stories about such things, they weren't real and probably never would be.

Ciel had been extremely upset about that and had eaten in silence before going up to his room for the rest of the night after his bath. He hugged his stuffed dolphin close to himself. "I wanted to meet Ariel, though…" he whimpered to Rachel when it came time for her to kiss his head before he fell asleep.

"I know, sweetheart. Ariel's a human now, though. Maybe if you ask Daddy real nicely we can take you to Disney World to see her." Rachel replied to her son with a small smile, not wanting to see him so sad and upset. It was like her boy was having an existential crisis over the fact that mermaids weren't real.

"So Ariel's a real princess? Even if there's no mermaids?" Ciel asked, brightening a bit at the newfound hope.

"Yes, there's a real Ariel. You can talk to Daddy about it tomorrow, darling. Sleep well, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy. I love you."

"I love you, too." She replied with a smile to him before kissing his cheek, turning off the lights, and leaving the room for the night.

They did end up going to Disney World for a week, Rachel and Vincent smiling as they watched their son have the time of his life, kissing a few princesses on the cheek.

The rest of his childhood had been happy and normal, making friends and playing with them down on the beach. He grew up quickly, becoming a lean, average sized boy as he entered high school. Honestly, the only thing he was really excited for was for his muscles to develop so he wouldn't look so awkward and lanky.

"Dude, you're turning sixteen tomorrow. Are you gonna get your license?" one of his friends asked as they walked out of school together one day in December.

"Not till this weekend. I'm hoping to, though." Ciel replied with a laugh.

"You better. Then you can take me to Chipotle or something."

"Only every so often. That place's expensive as hell."

"Fine, Taco Johns then. Either way, you get to drag my ass around."

"Yeah, yeah. My mom's here, so I gotta go. See you tomorrow." Ciel replied before moving to slide into the front seat of his mother's car.

"Hey, honey. Have you decided where you want to eat tomorrow night?" Rachel greeted him as she drove off to return back to their home for the rest of the night.

"Can we make sushi, Mom?" He replied to her curiously.

"Sure. Sushi and rice, then."

He nodded and watched out the window as they drove back to their house. When he got there, he acted on his habit of doing his homework right away and getting it out of the way while his mom and dad worked on that night's dinner, talking together.

"Oh god, is that necessary?" He asked after catching his dad teasing his mom by rubbing her hip and biting her ear.

"Of course it is. You're just sour because you don't have anyone to love as much as I love your mother." Vincent replied to him before kissing his wife's lips lovingly.

"Well, it's fine when people my age do it. You guys are too old to kiss and stuff." Ciel said as he wrinkled his nose at his parents.

"Oh, hush. Soon you'll be out of here and we can do all sorts of things here in the kitchen." Vincent replied to him with a laugh, earning a balled up napkin tossed at his head.

"Just stop, Dad." Ciel sighed as he finished his homework, letting his parents set the table for dinner.

They ate happily together, making easy conversation, then spent the rest of the night relaxing in the living room and watching TV together until they decided it was time to head to bed.

Ciel had to admit, he was a bit excited for his birthday the next day. He stripped down to his boxers and moved to crawl into his bed tiredly. Of course birthdays and Christmas had lost the spark as he grew up, but it was still nice to be able to get presents and a special dinner. The only thing that could make it better would be if he didn't have to give that presentation in English.

He slept peacefully all through the night, not dreaming of anything but getting his license, then a nice car. He smiled a bit subconsciously as he slept, frowning when he was woken by the sound of his alarm clock. He groaned and reset it before combing through his messy hair. He got dressed, ate his breakfast of cinnamon rolls his mom had made for the occasion.

Vincent came down already dressed and they all ate together before brushing their teeth. Ciel then got dressed easily and got his backpack.

When it came time for them all to leave, Rachel kissed Vincent on the lips gently before getting into the car and letting Ciel drive to get himself to school.

He smiled as he got behind the wheel and drove to school, feeling proud when they got there and they switched spots.

"Bye, Mom!" Ciel called as he waved to her and walked inside the building for what ended like seeming like the longest school day ever.

So, needless to say, he was more than happy when it ended and he walked outside, Rachel already there and waiting in the passenger seat for him to go ahead and drive back to their nice little house.

They all ate after Ciel did his homework, then opened his gifts from his parents. He soon found himself with a bunch of new videogames and a mini fridge for his room. Plus, as a joke from his dad, a box of Trojan condoms. He laughed and moved to hug his parents happily.

"I think I promised you a speedboat ride, kiddo. You get the safety stuff and I'll get her ready." Vincent said to him with a smile, ruffling his son's hair before standing up and moving to slip on his sandals. "I'll call when we're on the way back, darling." He said to Rachel before kissing her gently and walking outside to go down to the docks.

Ciel got the safety gear and smiled happily as he followed his father out to the docks, then into the nice boat as Vincent unlatched it and pushed off the dock, driving out into the deeper waters of the ocean.

"Dad, it's getting kinda windy out here. Should we head back?" Ciel asked after a bit, having noticed the waves picking up.

"Don't worry, Ciel, it's nothing too serious. If it starts drizzling, I'll head back. It'll die down soon, though." Vincent replied to his son with a small smile and continued driving the boat as the waves bounced them a bit.

Ciel just nodded, though remained a bit worried as the boat moved on. He soon heard something get caught in the motor of the boat, then his father cursing. Vincent moved to see what it was and if he could get it out while Ciel watched nervously as the waves got larger.

"Ah, just some seaweed. That bugger's really in there, though." Vincent said, more to himself than anything. He moved to get his pocketknife, Ciel being the only one who saw the tall wave looming towards them The teenager tried to say something, but the wave hitting their boat and capsizing it cut him off, sending him and his father both into the water.

Ciel instinctively tried to swim up to the surface, though finding that some metal had caught on his pants and was dragging him down to the depths. He tried to get himself free, though something else caught his eye and he looked up to see his father's body, his neck obviously snapped. He instinctively screamed, therefore getting rid of all the air in his lungs. He felt himself being dragged down farther and farther and fought all he could to get to the surface.

He was just about to black out when he felt something thin wrap around his waist securely, his eyes falling shut as he was whisked away, wondering if Heaven was pulling him in or something, like it had to his father.

Sebastian swam quickly to the surface, carrying the smaller boy to a small cave just above the surface of the water in a cliff by the shore. He sighed and set the human down in there, checking his pulse and smiling when he found the other was still alive. He then felt around his nose and mouth, deciding he wasn't breathing. So, he took a deep breath in and pressed his mouth to the other's, pushing the air into him, then pulling away and squirming into the cave a bit to push down on his waterlogged chest. He pulled away when he heard the other start to cough and sputter, slipping back into the water, his long tail flicking back and forth absently.

Ciel rubbed his eyes and sat up, looking around at where he was curiously. "What the hell? I didn't think Heaven would be like this…" he murmured, looking over and screaming when he saw the face of a young man peering in at him. "How long have you been watching me like that?"

"Not long at all. Only about a minute really." Sebastian replied easily to him, watching as the other man drew closer to him.

Ciel got closer to the man a bit, finding that he looked around his age, if not a couple years older. His skin was a milky white that contrasted brilliantly with his black hair. "Did you save me?" he asked finally, frowning when he noticed how the other's eyes were red like apples.

"I did, yes. I think I did a rather good job." Sebastian replied with a nod.

"I guess so. You must be one hell of a swimmer, then. What, are you on the swim/dive team or something?"

"No." Sebastian shook his head, looking utterly confused. "I do swim rather well, though."

"So, Mr. Swimmer boy, you wanna get me to shore?" Ciel asked as he abandoned his waterlogged jeans and shirt, only in his blue briefs as he slipped into the water, his foot brushing against the other's tail. "What the hell is that?" He shrieked, getting back into the cave.

Sebastian seemed to hesitate before moving to push himself up out of the water and into the cave with his arms, wiggling in a bit, his long tail flopping around. "I'm not actually supposed to show humans this." He said softly to the other man, letting him come closer.

Ciel's eyes widened, as he got closer to the other, wanting to see him closer. He found that the other man had three slits on either side of the base of his neck, then the body of a lean, though toned, young man. Right where his hips began, there were black and red scales that formed into a rather long fish tail, ending with a fin at the base. "Yeah, I can see why. People would shove you into a lab." He replied softly to the other man, feeling at the scales of his tail. "I gotta get home. Mom's gonna flip her shit. Wanna carry my clothes for me?" Ciel asked as he got the shirt and pants and slid into the water with the, evidently, merman.

"Sure. But I can't go too shallow." Sebastian replied with a nod, taking the clothes before diving back into the water and swimming along beside Ciel, figuring he was pretty fast, for a human.

They go to the end of the dock where Ciel could touch and he handed over the clothes.

"Will I ever see you again?" Ciel asked as he stood on his feet.

"Ideally, I should say 'no'. But if you want to meet over here tomorrow around this time, that would be alright." Sebastian replied to the other man.

"Yeah, that should be fine. By the way, what's your name?"

"Sebastian."

Ciel snorted at that and smiled a bit, laughing.

"What's so funny about my name?" Sebastian asked with a frown.

"Nothing. It's just there was a character in a movie I grew up with with the same name." Ciel replied with a laugh. "I'll explain it all to you tomorrow. I'm Ciel, by the way."

Sebastian nodded and smiled a bit as he watched the human walk away from him. Once Ciel was out of sight, he dove back under the water and returned home, hoping no one would notice that he'd been out of the dwellings.


	3. Chapter 3

Sebastian swam quickly down to the dwellings where bunches of other merpeople were swimming around, as per usual, going about their daily business. He frowned a bit and started to try to weave through the crowds to get himself home when he was stopped by a hand grabbing his arm.

"Sebastian, where have you been? Your parents sent me looking for you about an two hours ago." He heard a voice say, seemingly distressed and frustrated.

He whirled around to find him face to face with Claude, the merman his parents had arranged to become his mate when he was old enough and ready to take a mate.

"I was… out. Getting food and all that, for later." Sebastian lied to the other.

"Alright, and where is the food?" Claude asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"I ate it."

"I thought you said it was for later."

"Later meaning about five minutes after I got it. I was hungry."

"Alright, cut the shit, Sebastian. You and I both know you can't lie to me even if you try. Where were you? You had me worried, as well as your parents."

"I found a human. He'd been in a bad boating accident last night. He was going to drown if I hadn't helped him. I took him to a cave close to the shore until he woke up. Then I swam with him to the shallows so he could walk ashore." Sebastian finally admitted to the other man.

"A human? He didn't hurt you, did he? He didn't pluck any scales off or anything? He didn't probe you, did he?" Claude asked, suddenly getting extremely protective of the other man.

"What? No, no he didn't probe me, or anything like that. I'm perfectly fine, Claude."

The other merman nodded and sighed, letting go of the other's arm to gently take hold of his hand. "Alright. I'll swim you home. I hope for your sake, your parents aren't too shaken about this."

"They probably are, though." Sebastian replied with a sigh as he swam with the other back to his family's dwelling complex.

"You're right, they probably are. Just be safe, Sebastian." Claude replied as they got to the large reef dwelling.

Sebastian nodded and moved to gently hug the man he'd spent his childhood with as nothing more than friends. When they parted, he turned and swam into the reef, leading into the complex of various cave-like areas, some used for eating, some for relaxing, others as rooms where they slept in. It didn't take too long to find his parents, along with his sisters, in one of the relaxing rooms. Almost immediately, his mother swam to him and wrapped her arms around him tightly, sobbing tearlessly.

"Sebastian, where were you? Do you know how long you were gone? Do you know how worried we were?" His father asked, worry etched across his face as his mother continued hugging him tightly.

Sebastian looked up at his father while he hugged his mother back lovingly. He knew better than to try and lie to him. "A human was in a boating accident last night. He would have drowned if I hadn't saved him." He explained with a sigh.

"You were with a human? Are you hurt? He didn't probe you or anything, did he?" His mother asked worriedly, immediately moving to inspect his torso, then tail for any imperfections.

"No, I'm fine. He was kind to me, mother." Sebastian replied calmly with a small smile to her.

"Well, you got extremely lucky. Sebastian, do you know how many eggs a merperson can lay at a time?" his father replied with a frown.

"A hundred, father." Sebastian replied with a sigh.

"And about how many of those hundred survive in the egg to hatch?"

"Ten, father."

"Then how many survive past infancy?"

"Usually only half."

"Exactly. There are enough dangers in the ocean alone; we don't need you risking your life to see the human world. They're even more dangerous. Come, Sebastian, let me show you. You're old enough now."

Sebastian nodded and let go of his mother, kissing her forehead, then swimming off with his father to go wherever the other man lead him. The older merman led him behind the dwellings and into a nearby shipwreck. He found a crate and opened it up, letting out a few trapped minnows. He then took out a long object that looked like a hollowed out stick made of metal and wood at the base.

"Do you know what they call these? Or what they're used for?" He asked his son, showing him the object.

"No, Father." Sebastian replied honestly.

"They call these things 'guns'. They come in bigger and smaller sizes and plenty of different colors. They use them to slaughter the animals and other humans on land." He explained, making the other's eyes widen a bit.

Sebastian watched as his father put the gun down, and then pulled out another object. This one was far different, as it had a wooden handle, but a metal top that looked rather like a scale, though it came up to a point.

"Look at this one. Look how it shines." His father said to him, letting his son come closer curiously.

"It is rather like a mirror." Sebastian replied, almost entranced by the lovely object. He reached out and touched the flat side of the cool metal, then moved to run a finger down the edge, gasping and hissing as it so easily tore the flesh of his finger, making his blood leak into the water around him. Sebastian knew the way to call a shark to attack you is by letting them smell blood, so he immediately stuck the finger in his mouth to keep himself and his father safe.

"They call these knives. You now know how easily they can tear the flesh with just a soft swipe across the sharp edge. Imagine if someone were to use it to do this to you or another human or animal." His father said, before turning around and throwing the knife at a door that was half off its hinges. Sebastian gasped when he saw how the thing effortlessly buried into the wood.

"Do you see now, my son? I know I've frightened you, but this is because I love you. You need to stay away from those humans, or will end up getting hurt somehow. You don't deserve anything like that." His father said, moving to gently wrap his arms around his son, the only of his fifty sons who'd lived to hatch and lived past infancy.

Sebastian wrapped his arm around his father tightly, keeping his finger in his mouth, his tongue bathing it in saliva to try and get it to heal.

"That's why we chose Claude to be your mate, when the time comes. He can protect you and the children you will have together." He said softly, kissing the top of the other's head.

Sebastian nodded to the other man and left the shipwreck with him to swim back to the dwelling complex, retreating to his bedchamber. Over the years, he'd collected various pillows, blankets, and cushions, having made them all into a comfortable nest for himself, adding cushion to the floor.

He laid down in the nested area, wrapping himself tightly in one of the soft blanket. He then curled up in the area with his long tail arched over his head. He smiled, then fell asleep, not really wanting to do much more for the day, especially since he'd been out later than usual the previous night, caring for Ciel. He couldn't help but wonder if Ciel had ever used a gun or a knife before. He whimpered softly at the thought of such a thing, cuddling into his blankets and pillows, trying to chase the thought from his mind. Ciel had seemed so kind to him, he couldn't be one of the bad humans who'd used knives and all that.

He sighed and soon fell asleep in his nest, waking up easily the next morning. He unrolled the blanket from around him and swam out of his room to the dining area, helping himself to some seaweed and mackerel, his sharp back teeth easily tearing through the meat of the fish. He then ate the seaweed and, when it was time to go, left the dwelling to swim inconspicuously up to the surface. He smiled when he felt the warm sun on his face, moving to swim to the dock where he'd left Ciel.

Ciel smiled a bit when he left his house, seeing the familiar head of black hair out at the end of the dock. He was more than happy to see his new friend again, though Rachel had insisted on meeting the man who'd saved her son.

So, he took her hand and led her down to the end of the dock, eagerly, smiling and sitting at the edge of the dock when he saw Sebastian.

"Sebastian, this is my mother, Rachel. I'm sorry, but she wanted to meet you." Ciel said, figuring the merman would be rather skittish around other humans.

Rachel smiled gently to the man who looked to be about Ciel's age, if not a bit older. "Thank you so much, mister, for saving my son. It means a lot to me." She said happily, almost close to tears as she reached out and took hold of the other's wet hand in her own.

"You're very welcome, miss." Sebastian replied to her respectfully as Ciel just smiled at the merman, silently reassuring him that his mother wouldn't hurt him at all.

"Alright, I'll leave you two boys to do what you want. I just wanted to meet the man who saved my Ciel." She said, kissing Ciel's head and reminding him to be home in time for dinner.

Ciel nodded and smiled to her as she took the sandals he was wearing back to the house, leaving him only in his swim trunks. He then stood up and jumped into the water beside Sebastian.

"Let's find somewhere a bit more private. The beach always gets crowded in a few minutes." Ciel said to the merman, who nodded and smiled, leading Ciel back to the cave he'd brought him to the previous day. They talked for hours about each other's ways of life and things like that.

"So, your parents arranged mates for you and your sisters when you were about five?" Ciel asked in amazement, watching as Sebastian lounged, only half of his tail in the water.

"Yes, they did. All mermaid parents do. It's efficient and nearly all the relationships end up happily, even if the couple doesn't necessarily love each other. Most merpeople think falling in love is foolish, since you can just mate with the mermaid of merman their parents chose for them. It usually ends up as a sort of bond that is on the border between very best friends and lovers." Sebastian explained with a nod to the other man.

"So, your parents chose a nice mermaid for you, then?" Ciel guessed.

"No. When I was young, they asked me if I'd rather have a female or male mate to fall in love with and raise a family with and I chose male. Homosexuality among mermen isn't rare at all."

"Don't you have to have babies somehow, though?"

"Both mermaids and mermen can lay eggs. Only mermen can fertilize them, though. One male lays the eggs, then the other will fertilize them, both parts in an area they hope will be hidden from anything. About a hundred eggs can be laid at a time. Of those, only about ten will end up hatching. Of the ten merbabies hatched, about half are expected to survive past infancy."

"Oh, wow. That must be pretty hard on you guys, then."

"It is rather trying on the parents, yes. But they do their best to protect the ones who survive. Ciel, can I ask you something?"

"I'm not telling you how humans make babies, so don't ask."

"No, not that. Have you ever used a gun to kill another thing before? Or a knife?"

Ciel was caught off guard at the question, blinking a bit. "No, I never have. Why?"

"Father was showing me human weapons yesterday. They rather frightened me to be honest." Sebastian replied softly to the other man.

"Sebastian, I won't hurt you, ever. I promise." Ciel assured the other, rubbing his shoulders gently.

Sebastian nodded and tried to think of something so he could change the subject. "So, is that your dwelling, there?" he asked, pointing to the house off the shore by the dock.

"Yeah, that's where I live. My room's the one on the top row of windows on the right. " Ciel replied with a smile to the other man. "What's your house like?"

"We live in dwellings, which are basically complexes of caves all connected together to make rooms and things like that. My family's dwelling is in a reef." Sebastian explained to him.

"Hmm. You don't think I'd be able to put on diving gear and go down to check it out with you sometime, do you?"

"Not unless you want a bunch of rather frightened merpeople to deal with."

"That's a shame, it sounds cool."

Sebastian nodded and smiled a bit as a thought came to his mind.

"What's got you so smiley?" Ciel asked with a cocked eyebrow, poking the merman's cheek gently.

"Nothing, nothing. I just got an idea, that's all. I know what I'm doing tomorrow." Sebastian replied with a smirk to him, a mischievous glint in his red eyes.

Ciel couldn't help but smile and laugh a bit. "Do I get to know what your genius idea is, then?"

"No, you don't. You'll find out tomorrow."

Ciel smiled and laughed again, keeping close to the merman as they spent as much time together as they could.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So, I would've waited to write this until the weekend, what with school and all, but here you are. You get a chapter early. I had a couple people questioning why Ciel and Rachel weren't mourning, so I hope this chapter will answer that for you and fill that sort of void!**

* * *

Ciel sighed as he left Sebastian, his smile falling again. He and Rachel had both decided to put on a happy face to keep the other man out of any awkward situations, not wanting to put a damper on his mood. It would have been rude. He walked into his home to find his mother crying once again, moving to sit next to her and rub her back as he cried with her.

"That Sebastian man who saved you, you thanked him didn't you?" She asked after a bit, keeping her son close to herself.

"Well, no, I guess not. I suppose I'd better…" He replied as he hugged Rachel close in return.

"Yes, you'd better. He was the guardian angel who saved my baby. Also, I'd better tell you, your father's funeral will be in two days." She replied with a sigh, hating to say those words. She found herself thinking about how she'd have to give a speech about how much she'd loved him and began crying again.

Ciel frowned and rubbed her back lovingly, hugging his mother close to himself as they spent the rest of the day mourning, some neighbors coming over to help console them, or at least attempt to. When he went to bed that night, Ciel could plainly hear his mother sobbing herself asleep in her bed. He sighed and moved out of his bunk bed, moving to go to her room and cuddle up with her like he'd used to as a child.

She hugged him close to herself, crying with her son and, falling asleep next to him finally.

Ciel woke up earlier than his mother had in the morning, moving to make breakfast for the two of them. He knew he'd have to take care of himself and his mother. He sighed, starting the process of making pancakes for the two of them, jumping when he heard his name being called from outside. He groaned, wondering who could want him at six in the morning.

He walked to the door and opened it up, paling when he saw the source of the voice.

There, on his front lawn, stood Sebastian, a wide grin on his face. He was completely dry, for once, and his tail had been traded for a pair of long, slim, milky white legs.

"What the hell are you doing?" He practically shrieked.

"I'm saying good morning to you. Good morning!" Sebastian replied happily with a smile to the other man, waving to him.

"You're naked, though! Get in here before the neighbors start judging me!" Ciel replied to him, grabbing the man by the wrist, dragging him into the house, noticing that the other still seemed rather awkward on his feet. He grabbed a towel and moved to throw it at the other man. "Cover yourself up, Sebastian, I don't wanna see all that while I make pancakes."

Rachel heard the two of them downstairs and woke up, walking down the stairs silently.

"Ciel, when my thighs start and back ends, what's this round thing?" Sebastian asked, turning around to look at his backside.

"That's your ass, idiot. Stop groping yourself." Ciel replied to him with a roll of his eyes to the other man.

"But it's so nice and round and smooth." Sebastian replied in amazement of his own body.

"Please stop talking." Ciel sighed, trying to keep himself from looking at the other's ass.

"Sebastian, what are you doing here?" Rachel asked, finally revealing herself to the two young men.

They both whirled around and looked at her, rather shocked.

"Um, the water's out at his place so I told him he could take a shower here." Ciel answered for him, giving the merman a look that told him just to go with it.

"Oh. Well, you're welcome here whenever you'd like, honey." She replied to the dark haired man, patting his shoulder. "I'll get you some clothes." She said before walking back up the stairs.

"She seems a bit more down than she was yesterday." Sebastian observed softly.

"My dad, her husband, is dead, moron. Of course we're down." Ciel replied with a sigh. "I always used to tell him he was weird and disgusting cuz he'd always flirt with Mom in front of me. Now I'd give anything to see that again." He said softly, tears running down his cheeks once again.

"Oh, Ciel, you're leaking." Sebastian said with a frown, wiping away the other's tears. "My mother always told me that every merperson and human become the stars in the sky when they pass on. That way they get to look down and guide the people they love until they become stars beside them."

Ciel listened to the other man, not noticing that his mother had heard the same thing as well, both of them moving to hug his tall, slim, form while crying.

"Did you lose someone when you were young?" Rachel asked, handing him the clothes she'd found, though they'd been Vincent's. They were the only clothes she could find that would fit his frame.

"Some of my brothers and sisters, yes. I don't remember them, though. And we don't like talking about them." Sebastian replied to her as he took the clothes and proceeded to put them on.

She nodded and sighed a bit. "Well, I'm sorry for your loss." She replied softly, watching the man put on the pants.

"Don't be. You had nothing to do with it." He replied to her easily as he put on the shirt, then turning to Ciel. "How do I look?"

"Better, now that you aren't running around naked. You look good, Sebastian." Ciel replied to the other man.

"You look just like him." Rachel said softly, crying into her hands again.

Sebastian quickly moved to rub her back and try to soothe her again as Ciel flipped the pancakes and set the table. He lead her over to the table when her food was ready, sitting down beside her and just listening as she let all the emotions and memories out, telling him all about how he'd used to flirt with her all the time and just do such simple little things to remind her how much he'd loved her. He found his own eyes watering as she told the sweet stories. He couldn't help but wonder if his relationship with Claude would end up being like that. He rather hoped it would. It sounded so wonderful to be loved so dearly by another person. He sat with the two of them all day, helping to console them and help them with their grief. He'd told his parents that he'd be at a friend's dwelling until evening the next day, so he could spend more time with Ciel and Rachel. He figured they needed it.

"Sebastian?" Rachel asked after a bit, looking up at the other man.

"Yes, Mrs. Phantomhive?" he asked curiously.

"Will you come to the funeral tomorrow morning? Vincent's funeral, I mean. It would mean a lot to me if you were there." She asked with a soft smile.

"I thought those were only for family and friends."

"You saved my son's life. And you seem to have made friends with him. You're a family friend."

"If you're certain, I will."

"I'm absolutely certain."

"Then I'll go with you." He replied with a small smile.

She smiled and thanked him with Ciel and they all tried to keep their spirits up for the rest of the night. They let Sebastian sleep in the guest room for the night. It took him a bit to get used to the feeling of the mattress. He even ended up taking one of the blankets and wrapping it tightly around himself as he curled up on the soft mattress.

He slept uneasily through the night, growing rather homesick, as he'd never been away from the dwelling for so long before. He then remembered that, soon, it'd come time for him to lay eggs, as he was coming of age. When that day came, he'd have to find a dwelling of his own with Claude to raise his own merbabies. He suddenly found himself fearing for the future, not wanting to leave his dwelling with his sisters and parents. He didn't want to grow up and raise children so soon.

He decided to get up the next morning when the others did, finding a black suit hanging on his door for him to wear. He changed into it, then put on the shoes he'd found on the floor by the door. When he was ready, he walked down the stairs to see Ciel in a suit rather like his own, and Rachel in an elegant black dress, her hair pulled up in a bun.

"Good morning, Sebastian." She said to him softly, tying his tie for him.

"Good morning, Mrs. Phantomhive." He replied to her as she tied his tie.  
"Good morning, Ciel."

"Morning, Sebastian." Ciel replied to the merman with a small sigh. When they were all ready, they all moved out to the family car, moving to slide into the car. Sebastian sat in the back while Rachel sat in the passenger seat and Ciel drove them to the church.

They got there after a few minutes, finding the church with a large crowd gathered inside, all chatting in their dark colors. Sebastian hung back in the background as various people hugged Ciel and Rachel, giving them their condolences.

"Excuse me, sir." He heard a feminine voice say behind him, tapping his shoulder. He turned around to find himself face to face with a woman with bright red hair.

"Yes?" He asked curiously.

"Are you Ciel's boyfriend, by any chance?" She asked curiously.

"I'm nothing but his friend, Madam."

"Ah, I see. I'm sorry. You two just seemed so close. I'm Rachel's sister, Angelina, by the way. Just call me Anne."

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Anne. I'm Sebastian."

She looked like she wanted to say something more to him, but they were alerted that the service would be beginning soon, so they all moved to sit down. Sebastian sat with Ciel and Rachel, not really knowing what to expect out of the service whatsoever. He watched as a minister came up and welcomed everyone there. He then stood up with everyone as a closed coffin was carried down the center aisle. When it came time, he made room for Rachel to get out of the pew, watching as she walked up to the front and began to speak about her husband.

It was only then did he realize the gravity of the service and situation. Ciel's father had died, and Rachel had lost her beloved mate. He, along with plenty other people, began to cry silently in his seat. He couldn't imagine something so horrible as losing his own father or his own mate. He listened as she talked about how she'd met Vincent and how they'd fallen for each other almost instantly.

He then watched as Ciel got up and moved to speak as well about his late father, more tears rolling down his face out of empathy for nearly everyone in the room. When Ciel sat back down, he moved to gently set his hand on the other's shoulder, rubbing it gently. The ceremony went on and ended with everyone standing up and a singing a song the minister introduced as one of the songs Vincent had liked the best. Sebastian didn't know the lyrics at all, of course, so all he could get out of the song was that it was about a little white flower called 'edelweiss'.

They all walked out of the building and drove to the cemetery, crying some more as the closed coffin was buried six feet deep into the soil. They then walked down to the shore of the ocean and all got little candles on vessels. The minister lit them all and they sent them off into the water. They then ended the ceremony and bid their adieus to each other, everyone heading off in their own separate ways.

"I'd better head home now, Ciel. I'm sorry." Sebastian said to the human after a while.

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow, then, Sebastian." Ciel replied with a nod to him.

Sebastian nodded and moved to walk away to a hidden area by the water, stripping down out of the clothes, so that he was perfectly nude. He never noticed the unfamiliar human watching him from afar as he waded into the water, his legs slowly turning into a tail from the hips down.


	5. Chapter 5

Rachel watched as the days went by. Ciel would go to school, come back, do his homework, and then visit Sebastian everyday at the same time. She couldn't help but smile each time her son walked through the door, the smile returning to his face after a while, even after the loss of his father. She figured Sebastian would be good for Ciel, as the young man was obviously helping him to recover. Granted it had been a few months since the accident, but it was still progress.

"Hey you." She said to her boy as he walked back into the house after one of his visits with Sebastian. "How is he?"

"He's doing really well, Mom." Ciel replied, moving to help her set the table for dinner.

"He must be quite a swimmer. You always meet him down by the dock." She commented with a smile to her son, kissing his temple softly.

Ciel blinked, having completely forgotten his mother thought Sebastian was human. "Oh, yeah, we go to school together. He's on the varsity swim/dive team." He replied, lying smoothly.

"I thought so. He just has that sort of watery aura about him." She replied with a soft smile, just glad her son was happy.

"'Watery aura'?" Ciel repeated with a small laugh.

"Oh, hush. You know what I mean. So, has he asked you out yet?"

Ciel felt his eyes widen at that. "I beg your pardon?"

"Oh, you know. You two are young, you see him almost everyday. I've been there, sweetheart. After all, how do you think you got here?"

"Oh god, please stop talking, Mom. I'm not fucking Sebastian, I swear."

"Just remember to use protection. And lube, sweetheart, don't forget the lube. Honestly, you'll regret it if you don't."

Ciel groaned and rubbed his temples moving to just finish helping to set the table. "Not to change the subject or anything, but what's for dinner?"

"Spaghetti, love." Rachel replied with a laugh and a smile to Ciel as she moved to get the draining noodles.

Ciel nodded and smiled to her happily, helping get the sauce ready and sitting down to eat with her. They spent the rest of the night leisurely until they both went to bed. He slept easily through the night.

He smiled softly as he felt the warm water around him. He looked around and smiled happily when he noticed Sebastian next to him. The other said something soundlessly, grinning at him as he took his hand, then swimming off with him.

Ciel kicked his legs normally, finding that he could somehow breathe easily under the water, a pair of scuba diving flippers on his feet to let him go as quickly as the merman. He smiled as he swam next to Sebastian, the merman gently taking hold of his hand as he lead him down to a city concocted of homes and buildings made of reefs.

Sebastian eventually led him to his own little dwelling, then to his room. They stayed together happily for as long as possible, Sebastian soundlessly telling him stories and making him laugh.

They spent hours and hours like that, just enjoying each other's company, slowly moving closer and closer to each other. Soon enough, they were sitting side by side, their arms pressed against each other with their hands in each other's contently.

Ciel looked over at the other man and couldn't help but smile at the sight of him. His lips were parted a bit to show his two rows of perfect, white teeth. His long black bangs swirled around his head a bit in the water as his bright red eyes danced as he laughed.

Sebastian smiled happily and looked over at Ciel, making eye contact with him. The world seemed to stop as they leaned in. Ciel felt Sebastian's arms wrap around his neck, pulling him closer just before their lips crashed together.

Ciel's eyes opened almost immediately, finding himself staring up at the ceiling of his bedroom. He panted a bit and sat up, running his fingers through his messy hair, trying to figure out what the hell he'd just had playing through his mind. He sighed and just shook his head. He always had a lot of weird dreams anyway. After checking the time and deciding he had plenty of time to get more sleep.

So, he got himself a glass of water from the bathroom, and then went back to bed, falling asleep again rather easily. He almost immediately began dreaming about the merman, though.

This time the other was in his human form and they were all alone in the house. He assumed Rachel had gone to get some groceries or run errands or something. Either way, they were sitting on his bed, smiling to each other and talking happily. Soon enough, they were kissing again, though a bit slower and more lovingly than before. The kiss deepened a bit as Ciel gently swiped his tongue against Sebastian's bottom lip. The other man promptly opened his lips and their tongues came together, gently massaging each other.

They continued with that, bringing each other even closer together as they kissed. Ciel gently helped Sebastian out of his clothes, Sebastian returning the favor. Ciel guided Sebastian back down to the mattress, still kissing him heatedly as he straddled the other man's hips.

"I'll top this time since I don't think you knew what a dick was until a minutes ago." Ciel said softly to him with a small laugh, moving to get a condom and some lube, then returning to kissing the merman easily, letting the other's hands roam around his bare chest, liking the cool feeling of the other's fingers against his skin. He helped the other man out of his pants while slicking his fingers. He pushed in a single finger, moving to kiss, nip, and suck at the other's neck all the while. He smiled as he heard the other man gasp and moan softly into his ear.

He gave him a bit of time with the first finger, gave him a small warning, and then pushed in the second. He worked the other man open slowly and patiently, wanting to make things as pleasing as possible, wanting to get rid of the other's pain. Soon enough, he was able to slip in a third finger, soothing the other when he whimpered and smiling when he heard his whimpers become moans of pleasure.

"Ciel, please…I need you…" Sebastian said softly to the other man, his hips shifting a bit.

Ciel felt the words travel straight to his arousal, promptly getting the lube and slicking himself up with it. He looked down at the merman and moved to gently lift his legs up, setting them on his shoulders. He then moved to hold onto Sebastian's hips as he slowly pushed into him.

He couldn't help but grown at the tight warmth that surrounded him as he pushed all the way in. He wanted to do nothing but let his hips start rolling, though he kept himself still for the sake of the other man.

Sebastian whimpered a bit at the initial pain, slowly growing used to the feeling of Ciel inside him. His whimpers, though, soon turned to moans of pleasure and he smiled softly as he saw Ciel do so as well.

Ciel pulled out as he felt Sebastian shift eagerly against him, pushing back in slowly and smiling as he heard the other man moan softly. He continued the slow pace, though gradually starting to quicken, shifting his angle just a bit.

He knew he'd done something right when he heard Sebastian gasp, then mewl out with absolute ecstasy, realizing he'd hit that bundle of nerves deep within the other man. He continued to hit that spot, then, his hips starting to move rather quickly and roughly. Never once did he notice how Sebastian had wrapped his arms around his torso and was digging his nails into his back. Everything just felt all too wonderful.

After a bit, he reached down and began to stroke Sebastian's length in time with his thrusts. He heard the other man gasp and give a soft whimper. He looked down at Sebastian's face as it contorted in absolute bliss, his mouth forming a nice O as he screamed out his name and his back arched off the bed and he hit his climax.

Ciel felt the other man tighten around him and almost immediately hit his own climax, screaming out Sebastian's name in return as he filled the condom.

Ciel frowned as he woke up from that dream, groaning when he found how tight his pants were. He looked over at the clock again, finding it was about five in the morning. He tried to think of something to get his arousal down, but to no avail.

So, he decided to take a warm early morning shower to relieve himself in. All the while, his mind was wandering, wondering why the hell he'd had two different dreams about being with Sebastian. He'd just assumed they were friends and nothing more.

Then again, he figured the other man was rather nice. He was always sweet to him and his mother, at the very least. Plus, whenever he went down to the dock in the afternoons, the merman always had that wide grin on his face, as if it were an absolute joy and honor to see him. Honestly, he guessed it was pretty adorable.

There were a lot of things adorable about Sebastian, he figured, after thinking on it for a bit. He loved how the other man seemed so naïve and innocent about anything about humans. He loved how the merman seemed to always love playing with his toes and feet. He loved how the other would talk so enthusiastically about his own family and his world, trying to teach him about it.

He shampooed his hair, smiling blissfully at the thought of the merman, growing rather excited to see him later that day. Just the thought of it made him feel as if absolutely nothing could ever go wrong. He got out of the shower and made himself breakfast, his chipper attitude rubbing off on his mother, who began to smile a bit and laugh.

"What's got you all happy, sweetheart?" She asked bemusedly as she made her own breakfast.

"I have no idea. I guess it's just a nice day. And it's Saturday, so that's a plus." Ciel replied to her with a grin, spending the rest of the morning with her happily.


	6. Chapter 6

Ciel practically ran down to the dock to meet Sebastian that day, smiling widely all the while. It had begun to drizzle, but he really didn't mind too much at that point.

"Sebastian, are you hiding?" he asked with a small laugh when he got to the end of the dock and his merman was nowhere to be seen. "Sebastian?" he called out again after a bit.

He waited and waited for about ten minutes, then fifteen, then half an hour. Soon, it had been an hour and it had begun to pour and there still wasn't any sign of Sebastian. Ciel couldn't help but feel his once soaring heart fall as he decided to turn away and walk down the dock to return home.

He found himself debating why Sebastian would just not show up after meeting with him regularly every day. He wondered if something had come up or something, knowing the other couldn't have forgotten. At least, he hoped he hadn't forgotten.

He sighed as he walked back into the house, finding his mother watching a talk show on the TV.

"Hey, honey? How's Sebastian doing today?" Rachel asked curiously, looking up at her son.

"He wasn't there." Ciel replied, not noticing how heartbroken he sounded from just that.

Rachel blinked and moved to stand up, hugging her soaking wet son lovingly. "I'm sure something just came up and he couldn't make it today. I'm sure he'll tell you all about it tomorrow."

Ciel nodded, though frowning a bit. "I'm going to go up to my room." He said to her before walking up the stairs and retreating to his room where he spent the rest of the day.

He tried again the next day, only to find the merman wasn't there, yet again. Once again, he walked back home, sitting with his mother on the couch to watch the news.

"Maybe he's sick, darling. Give him a couple days, I'm sure he'll come around." Rachel said, kissing her son's head softly before getting up to get herself some tea.

Ciel sighed and mindlessly watched the news, not paying too much attention.

"Thanks for that, Jim. In other news, the owner of the local aquarium and marine biology laboratory has announced that he will be introducing a mermaid to the aquarium soon. The exhibit will open on Saturday. Well, I'm sure there'll be quite a few little kids at that." The anchorwoman said pleasantly with a small laugh and a smile as the news turned to the weather.

Ciel looked up at the screen, then over at his mother as she came back with her tea. Almost immediately, he pretended he'd felt his phone buzz against his leg in his pocket, taking it out and pretending to check his messages.

"Mom, can I go? Alois needs help with his biology homework; Hardy Weinberg's kicking his ass." Ciel asked curiously, knowing he was being rather reckless.

She looked over at him, a bit startled. "Sure, alright. Be home for dinner." She replied with a nod and a small laugh.

Ciel thanked her and moved to kiss her cheek. He then grabbed his keys and rain coat, running out to the car. He hurriedly drove to the marine biology lab, formulating a plan in his head.

When he got to the lab, he parked, grabbed a pen and notepad, and then moved to walk into the building, thanking God he had the connections he did. As he walked into the building, he told the receptionist he was doing a report for biology and needed to meet up with his aunt Anne, as she'd agreed to help him. He knew she'd help him out, even if he was lying and doing something potentially illegal.

The receptionist nodded and smiled, calling the red haired woman up to the front. He took a visitor nametag, scrawling his name in sharpie on it and sticking it to his shirt.

"Ciel, honey, how are you?" Anne asked as she walked up to him, hugging him tightly and lovingly.

"I'm doing well. I was wondering if you could show me around for a biology report." He replied to her happily.

She nodded to him and lead him back into the actual lab. "Now, why are you really here, Ciel? I know it's not for a report on sea life because Rachel called yesterday and said how you'd been bitching about Hardy Weinberg." She asked with a hushed voice as they walked together.

"I wanted to see the mermaid." Ciel admitted to her, looking up at her seriously.

"You know I work with the sharks, right? I can get you in, but I don't know anything about the mermaid. I haven't even seen it yet. They only caught the thing yesterday." She replied with a nod to him.

"It's fine. Thanks, Aunt Anne." He replied as they walked together, stopping outside the room. The doors were metal, though he could faintly hear quite a ruckus going on inside the room.

Anne unlocked the door for them, her eyes widening as she saw the scene in front of them.

Ciel felt his own blue eyes widen substantially. He saw a bunch of men and women in white lab coats, then a figure thrashing around in their arms as they fought to keep it still. The room was filled with a loud growling and hissing sound, and it took him a while to register it was coming from the mermaid they held tightly. It was only when he saw the black and red scales of the tail when he recognized the figure.

He then realized that he'd never once seen Sebastian angry or upset or anything other than happy before. He'd only ever seen the other when he was smiling and laughing, his red eyes twinkling happily. Now those red eyes had turned to a sort of glowing fuchsia, his usually round pupils in snakelike slits. He was more than angry now, he was absolutely livid. To be honest, it really frightened him.

Sebastian kept his eyes fixed on the man who'd been trying for the past ten minutes to pluck a scale from his tail, growling and hissing at him angrily. He did his best to keep his tail flopping around so the humans in the white coats couldn't grab it. He frowned when they finally did, though, his hissing being cut off by the pain that spread through his entire lower half as they plucked a scale from his tail, yowling with pain. The humans then seemed rather triumphant, a few of them clapping.

He whimpered a bit and growled at the humans a bit, looking around at them, his eyes going back to normal when he made eye contact with Ciel as the scientists slid him back into the tank of water they were keeping him in.

"Oh, hello," One of the scientists said to Anne and Ciel with a friendly smile. "Sorry about that, really. He doesn't seem to want to cooperate with anyone. It's a bit of a pain, really. It's time to feed him and the last time someone put their hand close enough to his mouth, he bit it."

"Could I try?" Ciel asked curiously to the scientist.

The woman seemed hesitant about letting the teenager near the obviously wild merman. "Make sure you wear the protective gloves in case he bites you." She replied, gesturing to the thick rubber gloves.

He nodded and moved to put the heavy gloves on, and then get the fish for Sebastian, walking up to the ledge over his tank and moving to reach over and hand the fish to Sebastian.

Sebastian looked up at Ciel warily from just beneath the surface of the water, then noticing how the other scientists seemed to be watching with bated breaths. He focused back on Ciel and slowly moved to break the surface of the water, gently taking the fish from the other, keeping eye contact with him.

The scientists began to murmur a bit when the merman cooperated with Ciel, treating him gently.

"Excuse me, young man. How did you do that?" One of them asked after a bit, watching as Sebastian slipped back into the water when they came closer.

"I don't know. He just trusts me, I guess." Ciel replied to them with a small shrug.

The scientists looked at each other, wordlessly deciding on something. "Would you be interested in being his primary caretaker, then? Or at least after school hours?" One of them asked Ciel curiously.

Sebastian looked up at Ciel almost pleadingly as he ate the raw fish, tearing it with his teeth.

Ciel looked down at him and smiled softly as he remembered how much he'd liked seeing the other everyday and keeping him happy. "Sure, I'll do it." He replied after a bit.

"Wonderful. When can you start?"

"Tomorrow afternoon, if that's fine." Ciel replied with a small smile to him.

The scientist nodded to him with a smile. "You're hired, then."

Ciel smiled and turned back to Sebastian, continuing to feed him the fish contently, glad to see that the other had settled down quite a bit. He couldn't help but feel angry that they'd stolen Sebastian away from his family and everyone, though, and were going to put him in an aquarium in a matter of two days. Though, he was happy to see the other was healthy and safe there.

He stayed there with the merman until six, letting the scientists watch and take notes as they talked together, the others seeming surprised that the merman could talk, let alone had a name. Ciel couldn't help but wonder how this would all play out. Especially with how protective Sebastian had said that Claude fellow was.


	7. Chapter 7

Days had passed and word of the missing merman had spread throughout the reefs. Claude frowned as he debated what to do, trying to gather as much information as he could about the day Sebastian had gone missing. All he really got, though, were things about a human boat overhead. He sighed, finally making his decision. If it meant the safety of his childhood friend and future mate, he figured he'd do anything.

So, he sacrificed his own freedom when the human boat came back a couple days later, letting the legged creatures capture him the way they'd captured Sebastian. Honestly, though, he didn't think it would go as smoothly as it had. He ended up in a small tank on the ship as it took him back to land.

When they docked, he felt a bunch of hands and arms working to lift him out of the tank and hurriedly carry him into the lab, his tail flopping around rather uselessly.

Unlike Sebastian, he cooperated as they measured him and weighed him, only putting up a fight when they plucked a scale from his tail. He frowned as they put him into the tank next to his mate; not at all happy about the last thing they'd done to him.

"What are you doing here?" Sebastian asked, completely confused when he saw his mate in the tank with him.

"I had to find you. Your parents and sisters are all worried sick." Claude replied to him with a soft smile to him. "These humans, they haven't hurt you at all, have they?" He asked, taking the other's hand into his own and holding it tightly.

"No, I'm fine, really. Not saying that I like it here, though." Sebastian replied with a smile to the other, glancing over when he heard the door open again, smiling softly when he saw Ciel walk into the room, set his backpack on the floor and walk over to them.

Claude followed the other's gaze to the small human, frowning a bit and protectively keeping close to his mate as the human got closer to the tank with some fish and a thing of sushi he'd gotten from the grocery store.

Ciel smiled softly to Sebastian and the new merman, watching as Sebastian led the new one up to the surface with him. "Hey, you." He greeted to the other happily.

"Hello, Ciel. Did you have a good day at school?" Sebastian asked curiously as he took one of the fish, handing another to Claude and eating with him easily.

"Yeah, I did. Who's your new friend?" Ciel replied.

"Oh, this is Claude. You know, the one who's going to be my mate when the time comes."

Ciel blinked at that, looking over at the other merman curiously. So that was Claude. He noticed how close the golden-eyed merman stayed to Sebastian and the wary way he looked at him. He then gulped a bit, knowing the other wouldn't be happy at all when he learned about how he and Sebastian would be put in an aquarium in only a day.

"Who are you, little human?" Claude asked with a frown to the other as he ate, keeping close to Sebastian all the while.

"I'm Ciel Phantomhive, Sebastian's friend." Ciel replied, sticking a hand out to him. Sebastian whispered something to the confused merman, and Claude took Ciel's hand and shook it before eating once again.

"When will we be getting out of here?" Claude asked curiously as he ate.

"I don't know about that one. "I'll do my best to help you two out, but I'm not sure it'll be too soon." Ciel replied with a sigh.

Claude frowned at that. "So, they're just leaving us in this tank, getting the information they want, then they'll let us go?" he guessed.

"Not really. Tomorrow, they'll be moving you both to an aquarium."

"Ah. What's an aquarium?"

"It's, um, a place that holds a bunch of tropical fish and it's got penguins and dolphins and stuff. It's kind of a large display area for marine life that parents like to take their kids to to see fish and stuff." Ciel answered to him.

"We're going to be put on display?" Claude asked with a frown, stopping eating his fish.

"That's pretty much what's gonna happen, yeah."

"Tell them we don't want that. We want to go home. Sebastian's come to the age where he's ripe for breeding. He'll lay eggs any time now and I refuse to let him do so in a tank like this." Claude said with a frown to him.

"I wish it were that easy. I'm only a helper with you two after school. I'll do my best to keep you two as comfortable as possible, but there's not much I can do." Ciel replied with a sigh to them.

Claude growled softly at that as he ate, keeping close to his mate protectively, looking like he'd bite the hand off anyone who dared to touch him.

Ciel made sure not to cross Claude or upset him further while he was there. "I'll see you two in your new tank tomorrow." He said to them when he had to head home to his mother.

It didn't take long after Ciel had left for Claude and Sebastian to be loaded in a smaller tank and onto a dark truck to go to the aquarium.

"I can't see anything, I don't like this." Sebastian said to Claude, as he kept close to him, not liking the way the water sloshed around while the truck drove them to the aquarium.

"I know, Sebastian. I'm right here, I've got you." Claude replied, holding the other merman close to him protectively, trying his best to soothe the other as they rode along in the truck.

He clutched the other close as they came to a stop and the large metal door opened up to see a bunch of humans helping the small moving tank out of the truck with them inside.

Sebastian kept close to Claude as they were wheeled through the large building and to a much larger tank with sand at the bottom and some reefs along the floor.

He slid into the water with Claude easily, rather glad the tank was larger and gave them more room to swim around together, though he still wasn't as free as he'd like.

They fell asleep together on the soft, sandy floor, their tails wrapped around each other as they slept.

They woke up to the lights of the building turning on in the morning, their eyes fluttering open as they saw humans outside their tank, cleaning around the floors of the area outside.

Sebastian blinked with wonder as he watched the humans rush around outside, setting everything up for opening time. He turned back to look at the other merman, finding Claude swimming up to the surface of the large tank.

"Is it breakfast time?" he asked curiously, surfacing with the other, watching as a human walked towards them with two plates of sushi. He couldn't help but lick his lips, taking a plate from the caretaker woman. They ate it above the surface of the water happily.

Honestly, it was pretty entertaining to eat while they watched the humans rush about, getting everything prepared for the unveiling of the mermen to everyone who came. Claude smiled as he looked over at Sebastian, playing the small game they'd played as children, watching the people rush about and just finding it all rather amusing, giggling at the people.

After a while, they finished and moved to slip back into the water together, swimming around and chasing each other around, like they always had as children. They only stopped when they caught sight of people starting to line up outside the building their tank was in. Claude gently took hold of Sebastian's hand, holding his mate close to himself protectively, tightening his grip as the doors opened and the people filed into the building, most of them parents with their small children, the kids all practically running up to the glass to get a closer look at them.

"There certainly are a lot of them." Sebastian said to the other as they watched the children curiously. He swam down and got face to face with a little girl curiously, then smiling kindly to her. The little girl grinned and giggled happily.

Claude couldn't help but be rather proud of the other merman and how he interacted with the children. He smiled softly and warmly at the other as he found himself imagining what it would be like when the other would be able to lay eggs and they'd have their own babies.

Sebastian smiled as he continued to interact with the kids, Claude joining him after a bit. Together, they entertained the kids happily, swimming around together and making them all smile with glee.

The day went along easily and they spent it rather easily in the aquarium. It was rather odd having people watch them, but they kept to themselves and went about their own business together easily, taking naps in the afternoon, curling up together in the sand.


End file.
